Newbie to County and AAP - Quetion: AAP Expansion

[Anonymous]

Has the expansion been approved?
Are new centers opening in 2013?
How do I know which school my child will be going to as a rising 4th grader?
Will his school change in subsequent years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has the expansion been approved?
Are new centers opening in 2013?
How do I know which school my child will be going to as a rising 4th grader?
Will his school change in subsequent years?

What is your DC's current school and what is your DC's current AAP center school?

There are a few new ES centers opening (like Lemon Road), but they are not part of any overall planned expansion of AAP. They were created to alleviate overcrowding in current Center schools. I know of no planned expansion of the AAP program. There has been talk of changing a few current AAP Center schools to LLIV schools since, in some areas, LLIV has been expanded to include virtually all the affected ES. There will also be some "expansion" of MS to offer AAP (Like Thoreau and Cooper) since those schools have enough inbound students to have a robust program and to allieviate overcrowding in their current AAP center school (especially Longfellow).

[Anonymous]

OP here: My son's home school is Fairfax Villa. His AAP Center school is Mosby Woods.

[Anonymous]

There is an active Mosby Woods thread that may give some of the information you seek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has the expansion been approved?
Are new centers opening in 2013?
How do I know which school my child will be going to as a rising 4th grader?
Will his school change in subsequent years?

What is your DC's current school and what is your DC's current AAP center school?

There are a few new ES centers opening (like Lemon Road), but they are not part of any overall planned expansion of AAP. They were created to alleviate overcrowding in current Center schools. I know of no planned expansion of the AAP program. There has been talk of changing a few current AAP Center schools to LLIV schools since, in some areas, LLIV has been expanded to include virtually all the affected ES. There will also be some "expansion" of MS to offer AAP (Like Thoreau and Cooper) since those schools have enough inbound students to have a robust program and to allieviate overcrowding in their current AAP center school (especially Longfellow).

No decision has been made yet to expand MS AAP centers to Thoreau and Cooper, and the overcrowding at Kilmer is projected to be more severe than at Longfellow.

[Anonymous]

Enter your address on the school locator function on the FCPS website and you will see hat schools you are assigned to for next year.

[Anonymous]

I guess the question is more long term. If the assignments change next year (or the year after), will my child be asked to go from one school to the other? or will they be grandfathered into the old school? Sorry -either i'm slow or I'm missing part of the equation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess the question is more long term. If the assignments change next year (or the year after), will my child be asked to go from one school to the other? or will they be grandfathered into the old school? Sorry -either i'm slow or I'm missing part of the equation.

Could be either scenario. The School Board has historically tried to grandfather current students at a school, but that has not always been the case (especially in cases of overcrowding). So your child could be asked to go from one school to the other.

[Anonymous]

Generally grandfathered but not always. No guarantees in school assignments anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess the question is more long term. If the assignments change next year (or the year after), will my child be asked to go from one school to the other? or will they be grandfathered into the old school? Sorry -either i'm slow or I'm missing part of the equation.

The number one rule in FCPS is "make no assumptions."
The school board has a history of making rash and illogical decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess the question is more long term. If the assignments change next year (or the year after), will my child be asked to go from one school to the other? or will they be grandfathered into the old school? Sorry -either i'm slow or I'm missing part of the equation.

The number one rule in FCPS is "make no assumptions."
The school board has a history of making rash and illogical decisions.

Not really. The number one rule is it's a big county, and the small number of whiny parents will complain no matter what.

[Anonymous]

The problem with a big county is that in the past few years they have closed schools, built new schools, started new AAP centers, and redistricted numerous schools. It will continue to happen, and people need to continue to be flexible. Unless you're in a private school, FCPS chooses where you go.

[Anonymous]

We should be grateful. Two years ago - my wife and put a contract down to have a new home built in Loudon County. The community - East Gate - was within 2 miles of 3 different elementary schools. Since it was a new community - LCPS could not tell us which of the 3 schools are kids would be going to. We found out three months into construction that they were assigned to a school 7 miles further out west in Aldie and that our elementary aged kids would have to get up at 6am to catch a bus by 7am. Apparently in Loudon school assignments are not by jurisdiction or location but exclusively on capacity. So people on opposite sides of the street could got to two different schools. On top of that they redistrict every 2-3 years so it is not unheard of to have kids go to three different schools from K-6. Needless to say we backed out of the contract. Despite losing the $10K in deposit it was worth it. I'll take FCPS any day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We should be grateful. Two years ago - my wife and put a contract down to have a new home built in Loudon County. The community - East Gate - was within 2 miles of 3 different elementary schools. Since it was a new community - LCPS could not tell us which of the 3 schools are kids would be going to. We found out three months into construction that they were assigned to a school 7 miles further out west in Aldie and that our elementary aged kids would have to get up at 6am to catch a bus by 7am. Apparently in Loudon school assignments are not by jurisdiction or location but exclusively on capacity. So people on opposite sides of the street could got to two different schools. On top of that they redistrict every 2-3 years so it is not unheard of to have kids go to three different schools from K-6. Needless to say we backed out of the contract. Despite losing the $10K in deposit it was worth it. I'll take FCPS any day.

Why would have to get up at 6am to get a 7am bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We should be grateful. Two years ago - my wife and put a contract down to have a new home built in Loudon County. The community - East Gate - was within 2 miles of 3 different elementary schools. Since it was a new community - LCPS could not tell us which of the 3 schools are kids would be going to. We found out three months into construction that they were assigned to a school 7 miles further out west in Aldie and that our elementary aged kids would have to get up at 6am to catch a bus by 7am. Apparently in Loudon school assignments are not by jurisdiction or location but exclusively on capacity. So people on opposite sides of the street could got to two different schools. On top of that they redistrict every 2-3 years so it is not unheard of to have kids go to three different schools from K-6. Needless to say we backed out of the contract. Despite losing the $10K in deposit it was worth it. I'll take FCPS any day.

Why would have to get up at 6am to get a 7am bus?

Umm because kids need to (in no particular order) [1] change their clothes [2] eat breakfast [3] wash their face [4] brush their teeth and [5] make it to the bus stop in time. Do your kids do all of that in less than an hour?